


The World Could Always Use More Heroes

by Thenlar



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Bite-Sized Chapters, Gen, I don't know if anyone's gonna die yet, I'm gonna try to have everyone show up, Starts at the Recall, but they're not gonna be on the same side, eventually, it's just a story so it includes a lot of things, people are going to get hurt, physically and/or emotionally, there's action, there's comedy, there's drama
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2019-04-19
Packaged: 2019-05-31 14:40:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15121610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thenlar/pseuds/Thenlar
Summary: Winston is fed up with Talon having a free run of the world. He initiates a recall of all Overwatch agents and sets in motion events that will alter the direction of the world. Overwatch starts to gather a diverse group of humans and omnics to protect the world, and they're going to have to learn about each other and learn to work together in the face of multiple deadly threats.





	1. Recall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winston hits the Recall button and starts reassembling Overwatch once again.

# Recall

“Winston? Is that you, love? It’s been too long!”

“Yes, yes it has,” Winston replied, smiling at the screen. Of course Lena ‘Tracer’ Oxton would be the first one to respond. After the initial exchange of pleasantries, the scientist got down to business.

“Listen, Tracer, things are getting out of hand. Reaper just attacked Gibraltar, he was trying to access the archives. Talon is more active than ever, and no one’s doing anything to stop them. Or even figure out what they’re up to. We have to do something!”

The irrepressible young Brit just gave a short laugh. “Winston, Winston! You don’t gotta convince me! You called us back, I’m comin’ back! I’m sure you’ve got a bunch more people to talk to, so I’ll just get goin’ now. Gotta let Emily know where I’ll be! Anyways, see you in a few days!” _-beep-_

Winston stared at the monitor for a second, then burst out laughing. It didn’t upset him that she hung up on him, and if he was being honest, it felt good to hear Lena’s voice again. And she was right after all, there were going to be more calls to handle soon. The next monitor flicked through portrait after portrait as Athena cycled through the agent dossiers in the archives.

\---

_Three Days Later_

Winston tossed aside another empty jar of peanut butter and morosely stared at the screens. After Tracer had hung up, he hadn't received a single call. There were a few acknowledgements, but he had no way of knowing if anyone else was even returning. Athena informed him that nearly half of the notifications had failed. She presumed that the contact information was old and out-of-date, or that the agents in question were deceased.

Then another thought struck him. "Athena, did the UN intercept our communications? Do you think anyone was detained?"

"No, Winston," she immediately answered. "Although there are monitors on our outgoing communications, I was able to mask the recall within routine data transfers from your lab work."

"Oh. Okay." With that, the gorilla slumped into a dejected silence, only to have his melancholy interrupted by a cheery sing-song voice.

"Ohhhh Winston~!! Got your favorite~!"

Winston pulled himself out of his tire nest just in time to catch a blue streak of light bouncing into his chest, accompanied by giddy laughter.

“For the last time, no more bananas!” he replied in a mock exasperated voice.

Tracer continued laughing as she hugged him. “Good to see you big guy, you still addicted to peanut butter?” Her eyes flicked over to the mountain of empty jars. “Ha, of course you are!”

The gorilla sighed heavily as she hopped off him. “It's merely a condiment for my fruits, Lena.”

She responded with a disbelieving snort before changing the subject. “Alright, so! Who else is coming??”

Winston visibly drooped. “I… don't know. No one else actually called back.”

“Whaaaat?!” Tracer paused in shock, then blinked up in front of the computers, peering at the monitors. “Athena, you didn't call a buncha wrong numbers did you?” she asked playfully.

“I assure you, Miss Oxton, I sent notifications to all of the last known contact information for every agent in my database,” the AI replied in a slightly miffed tone.

Tracer snickered. “I know, I'm just takin’ the piss!” She turned back to Winston, but before she could say another word, a ringing crash echoed out from the hallway.

After a brief glance at each other, Winston rolled towards the door, grabbing his Tesla Cannon along the way as Tracer blinked next to door with her pistols already in hand.

She peeked out, then paused to listen as laughter echoed. Her body relaxed as she holstered her pistols. “Oi, Winston, it's okay! I know who it is, the lug!”

\---

“Ha ha! These doors weren’t so weak the last time I was here!” boomed a German-accented voice down the hallway.

Tracer and Winston rounded a corner to come across the source of all the commotion. A small exterior door was bent and mangled on the floor while a thickly-built German man with a shock of white hair towered in the frame.

“Reinhardt!” complained Winston. “You’re going to have to fix that, you know!”

“Winston, my friend!” the massive German replied, stomping forward with a hand outstretched. “I’m glad to see you alive and well! And Miss Oxton too!” Winston looked at the hand a moment before shaking his head in dismay and giving Reinhardt a clumsy handshake. “As for the door, do not worry! My squire shall effect the proper repairs!”

At his words, a brunette woman with a ponytail poked her head around his massive torso. “Reinhardt! You can't expect me to keep fixing all your mistakes!” she complained.

Tracer gave a little gasp and blinked right up to her. “Cheers, love! Aren't you just the cutest thing?” Reinhardt stepped aside, letting Lena get a full view of his squire. She was dressed casually, wearing cargo pants and a black shirt with cut off sleeves, showing her muscular arms. “Oh bloody hell!” Tracer exclaimed. “Lookit those muscles!”

The taller woman blushed and stammered, “Th-thanks?”

Tracer laughed and danced a few steps back.

Winston sighed and loped forward. “Lena, please, control yourself. Welcome back to the Watchpoint, Reinhardt. If I'm not mistaken, this young lady must be Brigitte? Torbjorn’s daughter?”

Brigitte turned her attention to the gorilla. “I am! Hello, Winston! I've heard a lot about you from my father!”

“Good things, I hope!” he responded with a smile. He turned back to Reinhardt. “Everything is still the same, so I'll leave it to you to find some rooms for you both. Tracer, same to you. Once you're all settled, come see me at 1800 hours, I have a briefing for you all.”

Tracer nodded. “Okay!” And she dashed off down the hall.

Reinhardt grabbed the door and propped it against the wall. “Brigitte, bring up the van to the garage and secure our armor in the workshop, I will get quarters ready for us!”

She nodded and stepped back outside. The big German man turned to face down the hall. “I'm going to get my old room back. I hope my favorite couch is still there!”

\---

Once all the agents assembled in the conference room, Winston flicked on the wall screen and played the security footage of Reaper's attack. (1)

“As you can see, Talon has access to a number of well trained troops, plus the services of a skilled hacker who must have provided Reaper with the device he used to access the mainframe. Athena was able to force a server shutdown to prevent the breach, so we believe our agent dossiers to be secure. However, we were able to learn something out of this attack. Athena, if you would?”

Winston gestured at the screen as the image flickered and changed to display the exterior of the Overwatch museum. Athena's voice emanated from the room's speakers.

“As the Overwatch AI, I am still linked to our museum for monitoring purposes. Analysis of the device used to attempt to breach our defense here has given me a series of algorithms used by the hacker in the attack. Those same algorithms were recently used to successfully infiltrate the computer systems at the Overwatch museum. This enabled the hacker to gain access to security systems on site. Over the past few days, the Talon hacker has made a series of subtle changes to scheduling of security personnel. By tomorrow, there will be a one hour window where only a single guard will be on shift, with none on patrol. I believe Talon will use this opportunity to attack the museum, most likely with the aim of stealing the Doomfist gauntlet.”

Reinhardt surged to his feet before anyone else could get a word in. “Then we shall stop them!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (1) The Recall short - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB5zlHMsM7k
> 
> \- Not much to say after Chapter 1! Brigitte is probably gonna spend some time as a "viewpoint" character in a few chapters, though, I love her. Plus, since she's totally brand new to Overwatch, it's a good perspective to view things through.
> 
> \- Thanks for reading, though! I don't have an endpoint in mind. I just want to see where this story goes!


	2. Battle at the Museum

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Overwatch deploys a team to the Overwatch Museum to try and stop Talon from stealing the Doomfist gauntlet.

# Battle at the Museum

 

 Brigitte gave the screwdriver one last twist, and then nodded in satisfaction as her personal shield returned to its proper configuration. She released the grip trigger, letting the shield wink out of existence, and then let out a startled yelp.

 “Wow, you really are oblivious!” Tracer laughed from her perch just a couple meters away. The young agent was sitting on one of the spare parts crates with her chin propped on one hand. “I’ve been sitting here for at least a full minute!” Her head tilted to the side. “You gonna stick me with that thing?”

 Brigitte simply gave her a glare in response before realizing that she’d taken up a defensive stance, shield raised and screwdriver at the ready. She blushed and shoved the tool into her toolbox and pulled off the shield emitter gauntlet, setting it next to her disassembled armor. “Can I help with you something? Or did Reinhardt break something else I have to fix?”

 Tracer laughed again, slapping her thigh. “Ha! Not yet! No no, I just came to check in on you! The big oaf told us that he’d been training you, but this is going to be your first actual combat action, right?”

 The Swedish woman let out a heavy sigh and turned to face Reinhardt’s armor suit hanging up next to her. The metal was covered in scratches and impact marks, a testament to the difficult life the former Crusader led. Her gaze shifted to her own armor, still gleaming and polished, untouched and untested. “Yes, this will be my first battle,” she finally replied.

 Tracer hopped off the crate. “I bet you’re nervous, yeah?” Brigitte only nodded in response before Tracer continued. “Well, that’s okay! First time’s always scary. Did Reinhardt ever tell you about my first mission? During the Null Sector Uprising?”

 Brigitte shook her head. Tracer grinned. “Of course he didn’t. You know, first thing Captain Amari says when we get there is, ‘Reinhardt, don’t charge in there on your own.’ Guess what he does?”

 The squire dropped her face into her palm. “Charged off on his own.”

 Tracer snapped her fingers. “Got it in one! I thought Angela was going to kill him at the end when he went plowing into an OR-14 unit, and there was another one right next to it, just shooting him in the back!”

 “That sounds like Reinhardt, alright,” Brigitte sighed.

 Tracer waved her finger. “Oh, and then don’t get me started on your dad’s little payload, that he SWORE was going to work on the first try…”

 ---

 “Athena and I expect that Talon will attempt a two-pronged attack on the museum with operatives landing on the rooftop, as well as others attempting to infiltrate underground along the power maintenance conduits. As such, we will divide our team to meet both of these threats according to our strengths.”

 Brigitte leaned forward in her seat, straining to hear Winston over the humming of the stealth dropship’s engines. Winston’s plan seemed simple enough to follow, although given Tracer’s story about her Null Sector mission, no plan ever seems to work quite right.

 “Tracer can’t play to her strengths in the tight tunnel system, so she will be deployed on the rooftop. My jump pack will allow me enough mobility to keep up with her movements, therefore, Reinhardt, you and Brigitte will take the tunnels, where you can take advantage of both your shields and close combat weapons.”

 “Tunnels?!” boomed the massive German man. “Of course evil lurks in the darkest of places. My squire and I will be happy to root them out!” He threw his shoulders back and laughed, then grinned broadly at Brigitte. The squire shook her head in dismay at his theatrics, but somehow the familiar behavior settled her nerves somewhat. Reinhardt didn’t seem worried, so why should she?

 “Of course, given that Overwatch is officially disbanded, let’s try to not to make too much of a disturbance, but the priority is still stopping Talon in reclaiming the Doomfist gauntlet, or any other objectives they might have. Any questions?”

 Brigitte silently shook her head as Reinhardt started to inquire about a local sausage shop that had been open the last time he’d visited several years ago.

 “Two minutes to drop!” called out Tracer from the cockpit. Brigitte saw the pilot lean out of her seat and give her a thumbs up before steering the aircraft into a banking turn. The squire grabbed Reinhardt’s shoulder, and started one more series of checks to make sure they were ready.

 ---

 Brigitte flexed her left glove nervously. The creaking of armor seemed to echo all around her in the narrow metal passage. Two conduits led to the museum underground, so she and Reinhardt had split up to cover each one. Left by herself, her nerves started to waver again. She had trained hard for this day, to face enemies ( _evil villains!_ Reinhardt’s voice boomed in her head) in combat, but this was the first time she would face anyone actively trying to kill her.

 She squinted her eyes in the dim red lighting. Was she ready? Could she look someone in the face and swing her mace?

 The crash of metal ringing down the hall scattered her thoughts.

 Faintly, but clearly, she heard a voice issuing commands. “Door clear. Squad, advance to objective.”

 They were coming.

 Brigitte took a deep breath and resisted the sudden urge to flee. Flashlight beams probed the darkness ahead of her, Talon agents just around the corner.

 She took a step to the side, behind a heavy pipe just as the pointman stepped into her corridor. Lights flashed up and down the passageway as the Talon squad approached her.

 “Contact!” the lead trooper barked, his gun-mounted flashlight reflecting off her boots. “Who’s there?”

 Brigitte stepped out, arm raised up, but shield deactivated. “My name is Brigitte Lindholm! And you shall go no further!” The conviction in her own voice surprised her, but she didn’t have the time to think about it as someone yelled, “Take her down!”

 Her fist squeezed and her shield flared to life moments before the first hail of bullets smashed into it.

 Brigitte shut her eyes a second at the terrible cacophony, the barks of gunfire deafening and terrifying her. She knew that she should charge forward under the cover of her shield while it still held, to bring them into range, but she couldn’t bring herself to walk INTO the bullets.

  _-crack-_

 The hardlight shield started to splinter under the barrage. It was going to go down soon, she had to do something, anything! But what-

 - _CRUNCH-_

 The metal wall behind the Talon squad crumpled, and a rocket-boosted suit of Crusader armor barreled through the hole. One trooper sprawled to the ground as Reinhardt’s shoulder clipped him, his weapon spraying bullets into the ceiling. He barely had time to let out a scream before a huge hammer crushed him against the floor.

 “SHIT! BEHIND BEHIND!”

 The enemy squad immediately spun around to address the new threat, submachine guns spitting bullets. A few smacked into the knight’s armor before his own shield sprang to life, intercepting the rest of the gunfire.

 Now completely ignored, Brigitte’s paralysis faded as she saw Reinhardt’s shield shudder under the next volley of bullets. She sprinted forward, armor clanging on the metal flooring, letting out a yell just before she swung her mace at the nearest Talon trooper. The heavy metal head caught him in the shoulder, staggering him sideways.

 He tried to spin around, but her backswing caught him across the face next and he hit the wall and slumped to the ground.

 Behind him, a female trooper whipped around and leveled her weapon. Brigitte’s shield came up, blocking a burst of bullets, and then the squire lunged forward, smashing the shield into the Talon operative. She lost her grip on her gun as the impact threw her backwards to the floor. Brigitte let out another yell and brought her mace down, crashing square into the trooper’s chest with a sickening crunch.

 Panic set in to the remaining Talon troops as they were pinched in on both sides, trying to fend off the knight and his squire. As the gunfire coming at him withered, Reinhardt dropped his shield. A few bullets rang off his armor as he brought his hammer back, over-charging the rocket motor, and then swung it forward. Emergency vents spit out a superheated cloud of exhaust that washed into the clumped operatives. They let out anguished screams and collapsed. Brigitte herself yelped in surprise and threw herself to the side just as the flames licked past her.

 “Hey! Watch it!” she yelled as she painfully bounced off the wall. She automatically raised her mace for her next strike, but realized that no enemies remained standing.

 Reinhardt stopped to survey the devastation and then lifted his helmet, giving her a broad smile. “Well done, Brigitte Lindholm! We win this day! Let us see how our friends fare above!”

 The squire nodded and took a deep breath, realizing that the fight had left her feeling a bit tired, short as it had been.

 “Reinhardt here, we’ve intercepted and defeated a Talon squad in these tunnels! What news from above?” the German knight spoke into his headset.

 There was a brief pause before Tracer’s voice came back, panting. “We… we stopped ‘em… up… up here! Just… trying to chase… damn! They’re getting away! Oi, Winston! Don’t you do it! The whole city’ll see you if you jump from there!”

 Reinhardt and Brigitte stared at each other for a few seconds, suddenly reminded of the supposedly clandestine nature of their mission here, before Winston’s voice came over the radio.

 “Yes, of course. Thank you, Lena. Very well. Talon has been driven off for now, we should withdraw as well. Reinhardt, Brigitte, please make your way to the rendezvous.”

 “We shall see you there!” the German replied, and stepped forward, clapping a hand to Brigitte’s shoulder. “Athena will notify the authorities to deal with these miscreants _after_ we have left the area. Let us be off!”

 Brigitte nodded and took one last look at the two troopers she’d taken down herself.

 Blood had been drawn today, Talon put on notice that their activities would no longer be unopposed. Overwatch and Talon were at war once again, and Brigitte Lindholm was right in the middle of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- Obviously, the tunnel fight takes place as Winston and Tracer battling Reaper and Widowmaker in the museum. If you want to see that fight, well, just go watch the Overwatch Cinematic Trailer again! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqnKB22pOC0
> 
> \- Brigitte froze up a little, but I think she did alright for her first real fight!
> 
> \- Lemme know if the action was clear!


	3. Aftermath and Arrivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the battle, plus a few familiar faces appear!

# Aftermath and Arrivals

“Whaddya mean no one knows we were there?! Reaper was firin’ bloody shotguns all over the place!” Tracer exclaimed in disbelief.

Winston looked just as perplexed as the Brit as he paced around the conference room during the after-mission debrief. “I don’t know, Tracer. Athena, can you explain further?”

“Of course, Winston,” the AI replied. “A virus in the security server corrupted all camera recordings for the entire day. In addition, the lone guard on duty claims he was in the bathroom at the time of the incident, although packet traffic through the guest wireless network suggests he was playing a game called ‘Hearthstone’ at the time. Given the isolated nature of the museum, there were no other witnesses present except the two young boys you interacted with, and they appear to have said nothing to the authorities.”

Winston scowled. “How are they explaining the damage? Broken display case?  _ Shotgun pellets? _ ”

“And the bodies in the basement!” Brigitte piped up.

“One moment, please.” Athena was silent for several seconds as the team exchanged glances with each other. “I have accessed a police report filed a few minutes ago. Museum staff merely reported vandalism to the police, and while several people were arrested on scene, they were only given minor vandalism charges and have already been released.”

“This stinks,” complained Tracer. “It’s gotta be a cover-up!”

Winston nodded in agreement. “Of course it is, but is it happening to cover our tracks, or Talon’s?”

Reinhardt growled. “Definitely Talon.”

\---

“rrrrRRRRAAGH!” Reaper roared as he slammed a fist against the safehouse wall. “How did that  **monkey** know we were going to BE there?!” The room was furnished in a way that suggested a typical family lived in the small apartment, completely at odds with the nature of the room’s occupants. Reaper’s boots stomped on the hardwood floor as he paced around the coffee table.

The computer chair lazily spun around as Sombra tapped her long purple fingernails on the armrest. “They were there at the exact right time. I think the AI must have noticed my hacks.”

The black-clad man spun towards her and leaned in menacingly. “And how did  **that** happen? I thought you were supposed to be the best hacker in the WORLD!”

She gave a mocking laugh, completely unfazed by his posturing. “She’s a  _ computer _ , Reaper, the digital realm is where she lives. I warned you this might happen. Still, security was completely gone, weren’t they? I did MY job.”

He gave a grunt of frustration and resumed pacing around the coffee table. His gaze snapped over to Widowmaker, sitting at a table in the corner cleaning her disassembled rifle. “Speaking of which, what did you do with those  **incompetents** that were supposed to be our backup?”

The blue-skinned woman didn’t even look up as she replied in a flat tone. “I disposed of them, of course. I did my job.” She paused, wiping a rag across the rifle barrel. Then her voice picked up a hint of disdain. “What was  _ your _ job, again?”

Reaper let out a snarl and lunged across the room. His taloned hand wrapped around her neck and thrust her bodily up against the wall. He glowered at her through his mask, yet her eyes betrayed no fear at all. His fingers tightened. The corners of her lips tilted in a mocking, superior smile as her chin was forced up.

“Aww, pobrecito… beaten up by a monkey again? How your pride must  _ hurt. _ ” Sombra’s taunting voice cut through the air. Reaper dropped the sniper and turned towards Sombra, his body taut with rage.

“I would kill you if we didn’t need you,” he spit out through gritted teeth. “I’m going to report to the Council.” His body collapsed into smoke and seeped out through the door in a blink of an eye.

“Tsk tsk, the temper on that one,” Sombra sighed as she spun the chair back around to face the computer.

\---

“Winston, I have been informed that two guests have arrived.”

Winston rolled up from his tire nest, bemusement plain on his features. “You’ve been… informed? By whom? Or what?”

“A short-range tightbeam radio transmission in binary. The embedded access codes check out. They belong to Agent Shimada.”

Winston looked surprised at that information and took a moment to compose himself before replying to Athena. “I … see. Inform all the others and have them meet me at …?”

“They will be entering through the garage.”

“Right, the garage then.”

\---

Brigitte walked towards the garage as Tracer darted in circles around her, keeping pace behind Reinhardt a few meters ahead.

“Wow, Genji! I never thought I’d see  _ him  _ again!” Tracer exclaimed, laughing as she pirouetted past Brigitte.

Brigitte frowned in thought. “Genji? He’s… the ninja, right? My father helped design his prosthetics.”

“That’s right!” Tracer replied with a nod, walking backwards. “He’s a cyborg, just as much machine as man. Kinda broody, but really good to have along in a scrum!”

The small group entered through a door into the Watchpoint’s vehicle garage. In between a pair of light utility trucks a pair of figures waited next to Winston. Brigitte was easily able to deduce which was Genji by the katana sheathed on the back of his metallic body. His companion came as a bit of a shock to her, however. He was an omnic, one of the Shambali monks, and he simply  _ hovered _ over the ground with his legs crossed.

As soon as Tracer turned around to face forward and saw them, Brigitte noticed her body tense up for the briefest moment before she blinked up next to Winston.

“Lena!” Genji exclaimed. “It is good to see you again. I trust you have been well?” He accompanied the words with a small bow.

Tracer looked flabbergasted for a second, and then wheeled to face Winston. “Okay, Winston, who is this bloke and why’s he wearing Genji’s armor?!”

Genji threw his head back and laughed before responding. “It is true I am no longer the man that you may remember from the last days of Overwatch. I am healthy now in both body  _ and _ mind. For that, I credit my master, Tekhartha Zenyatta.” He gestured at the floating omnic.

The orbs floating around Zenyatta’s head briefly emitted a warm blue glow as he nodded his head in acknowledgement. The omnic monk raised a hand in greeting as he spoke. “Greetings. I am Zenyatta, formerly of the Shambali. I now travel the world in search of those who may benefit from the wisdom I have learned. My ultimate goal is to promote peace and harmony between humans and omnics.”

Genji slowly leaned over next to Tracer, and in a conspiratorial tone murmured, “He also makes Julienne fries.”

Tracer’s eyes grew wide and she seemed to vibrate in place before she blinked out of sight behind a truck where gales of laughter could be heard.

Zenyatta slowly lowered his face into his palm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \- That's all I've pre-written before posting! Please let me know what you liked and disliked!
> 
> \- This is my little creative outlet, so I'm planning to just let it go and see where my writing takes me as Overwatch continues its illegal recall.
> 
> \- Sombra is such a little shit. Heh.
> 
> \- I wonder who caught the little reference that Genji made...?


	4. Faces, Friendly or Otherwise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Troubling reports of increased rogue Omnic activity prompts Winston to send out a recon team.

Brigitte scowled as she looked over the fresh damage to Reinhardt’s armor. The dings from bullet impacts did little individually to compromise the armor’s integrity, but as they accumulated over time, it would be enough to cause the protection to fail. Still, now that she had access to the Watchpoint facilities, she might be able to fabricate-

A scuff of a shoe alerted the mechanic to movement behind her and she quickly looked over her shoulder. Caught in the act of sneaking up, Tracer let out a giggle and blinked closer, jumping onto what was quickly becoming her favorite crate to sit on. “Hiya Brig, whatcha up to?”

Brigitte frowned slightly at the shortening of her name, but decided to let it pass for now. “Armor maintenance. As Reinhardt’s squire, I am responsible for repairing damage to his equipment sustained in battle.”

“Oof, sounds boring!” the Brit responded, letting her legs dangle freely as she watched Brigitte work. “What do you get out of it?”

Brigitte turned back to the armor, picking up a screwdriver and poking it between armor plates as she inspected the joints. “In addition to simply being good practice for my engineering skills, this is also how I repay him for the training he has given me.”

“Ha, I wonder if Genji has to do the same thing for Zenyatta,” Lena said, starting to giggle again as an image formed in her head. “Although, Zenyatta’s not wearing armor, he just has a metal body, so Genji would just be standing there polishing and then Zen’s all like ‘Ah, grasshopper… you missed a spot!’”

The mechanic stopped her inspection as she laughed in response. After a moment, she turned back to faced the seated woman with a more thoughtful expression. “Speaking of Genji… I noticed you appeared to be... Wary? When you saw him in the garage earlier. Why is that?”

Tracer leaned back, propping her arms behind herself. “You noticed, huh? Well, back near the end of Overwatch, Genji was getting to be a real jerk. He was always a little angry after Mercy fixed him up, but he just kept getting worse over time.” She glanced around before continuing. “Honestly, I think some of the stuff they had him do in Blackwatch kinda messed him up. Anyways, he got so bad, right before we all went our own ways, Angie broke up with him.”

Brigitte rocked backward in surprise. “Angie? Angela Ziegler? _Mercy_ was dating him?”

“Ayup!” Tracer confirmed. “I didn’t really get it, but I guess Angie was kinda like a romantic at heart. She fixed his body and then she was trying to fix his mind? Or his emotions? Or some bollocks like that. Anyways, it didn’t work out.”

Tracer blinked off the crate, landing in a crouch. “But yeah, he seems a lot more chill now! We’re gonna have a chance to see what he’s like now on the mission tomorrow.”

The mechanic frowned. “Mission? What mission?”

Lena smacked herself in the forehead. “Oh! I forgot that’s what I was comin’ here to tell ya! We got a mission briefing in … er, five minutes now! See ya!” She zipped out of the workshop, laughing.

The young squire sputtered in outrage, tossing tools into boxes haphazardly before sprinting for the door.

\---

Winston was just beginning the briefing as Brigitte skidded into the room and plopped into a seat. Already seated and looking _very_ attentive, Tracer gave her a teasing wink, which only earned her a glare from the squire.

“As you can see, Athena has been monitoring various official and emergency channels throughout the world. Recently there has been a small yet notable increase in rogue omnic activity reported near the city of Cairo.”

A small chart appeared on the holoscreen, emphasizing Winston's statement.

“While unlikely to be related to Talon, this is still a situation I would like to monitor. Therefore, I am sending a two agent reconnaissance team to determine if there is any real threat. Genji's fortuitous return gives us an expert in covert operations and intelligence gathering on hand, so he will be the first agent.”

The ninja inclined his head at the compliment and responded, “ _yoshi_!”

“However, Genji's distinctive appearance and cyborg nature makes him unsuited for direct contact with the locals. Similarly, Reinhardt and Tracer are simply too well-known as former Overwatch agents to send out asking questions without raising too many questions in return. Thus, I am assigning Brigitte to be his partner for this mission.”

Brigitte's jaw dropped in shock. “Me? What? But… I can't!” She looked at Reinhardt for support, but he was already smiling broadly at her.

“Winston asked me before the briefing. You will be fine! It is time for you to begin forging your own legend, little lion!”

Still stunned, she sank back in her seat as Winston continued on with the details.

\---

The next day, Brigitte found herself seated in the dropship once again. Her feeble protests had been overruled by Reinhardt's assurances that she was ready. With a final reassurance that Genji would help her if she ran into difficulty, he had seen her off as the dropship departed, beaming like a proud father. As she fidgeted in her seat, various scenarios played out in her head, each more terrifying than the last, when suddenly her moping was interrupted by a sudden question.

“Why are you here?”

The squire started before she looked across the compartment at Genji. She thought he had been meditating, but now he was staring at her.

“Wh-what?” she stammered. “Winston and Reinhardt told me to be here!”

He shook his head. “Not _here_ on this aircraft. Why are you here in Overwatch?” he clarified in a quiet, even tone.

“Oh! Um. Well, Winston recalled Reinhardt, so I came with him!”

Genji unfolded his legs from his lotus position and leaned forward. “Hmm. And why do you follow him?”

“Because I'm his squire!”

He gave a soft sigh and shook his head again, raising his arms with the palms forward. “Yes, but to what end? For what purpose are you receiving this training?”

Brigitte frowned at the ninja. “Well, my dad sent me to him. To practice engineering, and learn to fight. To be a hero.”

Genji tilted his head. “Is that what _you_ want to be? A hero?”

She started to falter under his unending gaze. “I-I don't know?”

He nodded. “Perhaps you should think about that. Why _you_ want to be here.” With that, he stood up and made his way up to the cockpit, leaving Brigitte to her thoughts.

\---

Brigitte was still considering Genji's question when they landed in a secluded area outside Cairo city limits. Genji immediately set off, assuring Brigitte he would contact her over radio once he had some leads, while she secured lodging. That was a task she was accustomed to dealing with on Reinhardt's behalf, so the familiarity of it helped settle her mind. It didn't take long to find a cheap motel and rent a car, and she was starting to feel a bit more confident when Genji called.

Following his directions, Brigitte spoke to a few locals and some security personnel. She learned that the local tourism board was recommending visitors avoid a certain district in the outskirts due to ‘criminal activity.’ Naturally, she relayed this information to Genji and then they both headed in that direction.

Eventually, as the sun set on the horizon, she found herself pulling up to a security blockade cutting off the road. The guards told her that the area was blocked off due to ‘disturbances’ and she turned around. Once out of sight, she pulled the car into an overgrown lot and settled down to wait for Genji to sneak in and report back.

\---

It was trivial for Genji to sneak by the security cordon. He couldn’t detect any sounds of battle, so he theorized that any active fighting was over and they were simply keeping out the curious. Fortunately, the secured area wasn’t very large, so he was able to find the aftermath of a battle quickly. From a rooftop perch, he observed security forces in armored suits with jetpacks as they watched over technicians poking through the remains of several destroyed omnics.

In order to get a better line of sight to the wreckage, he dashed across an alley and hung down from a balcony. A moment later, his visor beeped and magnified his vision, allowing the ninja to study the parts. It took a bit of imagination, but eventually he did recognize the models: older ones, last seen during the Omnic Uprising. They seemed to be weathered and in poor shape, even accounting for being destroyed by explosives. So it seemed likely that these were not newly manufactured, simply a group that had been dormant somewhere and awakened. While a worrying occurrence, probably not one that merited a great deal of concern. Local government ought to be able to handle it.

The hiss of maneuvering thrusters alerted Genji to someone approaching. He quickly killed the visual magnification and resisted the urge to snap his head around to look. Very slowly, he reached an arm to steady his hanging perch and slowly pulled himself deeper into the shadow under the balcony. Someone flitted by, expertly feathering their thrusters in an attempt to minimize their sound, and Genji shrunk as far into the shadows as he could. Finally he heard boosting thrusters tearing away from his position and he flipped away from the wall and escaped to safety.

\---

Brigitte sighed in the evening darkness and drummed her fingers impatiently on the steering wheel when her earpiece hissed briefly before Genji’s voice came through.

“I am finished scouting, Brigitte, but my presence may have been noticed. You should leave the area and I will meet you back at the motel.”

She briefly looked around in alarm, and then fumbled for the keys. “Understood! I’ll see you there!” she responded. The engine revved to life and she flicked the headlights on, illuminating a bright blue set of armor standing right in front of her car.

“Eek!” she yelped, and then leaned out the window. “Um, excuse me?”

The figure stepped out from the headlights and as Brigitte’s eyes adjusted to looking into the moonlight, she could make out the wearer was a tall Egyptian woman with sharp features and a tattoo around her left eye. The holographic nameplate on her armor’s breastplate read, “Amari.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First update since July! Whew. Uhh, yeah, after writing the initial chapters and posting them, I took a break from writing, which.... just... extended. Forever.
> 
> Finally overcame my procrastination and getting back into it. Hope you enjoyed the intro!
> 
> \- "yoshi" is pronounced more like yōsh. It is of course Japanese, and is generally an exclamation of an enthusiastic affirmative. Roughly translates to "All right!" or "Okay!"


	5. What It Means to be a Hero

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brigitte's first meeting with Fareeha Amari is a bit ... awkward.

“State y-” the woman started to say.

“Wait, Amari?!” Brigitte blurted out, interrupting her. “Like Captain Ana Amari?”

There was a lengthy pause, and Brigitte strained to read the woman’s expression in the dim light. Finally, she responded in a rather flat tone, “My mother. She is dead. Who are you and what are you doing here?”

The young mechanic’s face flushed in embarrassment and she wished she could crawl under the car to hide. “Err… yes… I … I knew that. Sorry. I, uh. I’m Brigitte. I was… meeting a friend?”

“A friend. Here.”

Brigitte gave what she hoped was a helpless, naive smile. “Yes, but… um… he hasn’t shown up. I think I have the wrong address.”

“You must. This area is currently restricted. You should return to your hotel. Now.”

“Oh! Yes, of course! Um. Nice to meet you! Good bye!” Brigitte stammered out. With a nod, the security trooper took a step back. Brigitte shifted the car into first gear and quickly pulled out of the lot.

\---

Genji managed to beat her back to the motel somehow, despite not having a vehicle to travel in. He gave a succinct report about what he’d seen inside the restricted area and the two agreed that this seemed like something Overwatch didn’t need to worry much about. However, when she mentioned her encounter with the security officer, he seemed rather interested.

“Captain Amari’s daughter? That must be Fareeha. I remember seeing her around the Switzerland base quite often. She was enamored with Overwatch, and could not wait to join. Until her mother sent her away.”

Brigitte nodded thoughtfully. “Oh. That must have been when I was still young then, before Papa ever brought me to work.”

Genji remained motionless for a few moments as he mulled the situation over. “Still, I do not know how she considers Overwatch now. It would be best if we called Lena for extraction and left the country tonight, before she decides to investigate you further.”

“Alright. I wasn’t looking forward to sleeping in one of these beds, anyways.”

\---

Brigitte was getting tired and sweaty as she neared the pick-up rendezvous. After dropping off the rental car in the lot, she had to walk nearly 4 kilometers to reach an area secluded enough for Tracer to bring in the dropship.

Turning to face Genji, she started to speak, “Where do y-” and then realized that the ninja wasn’t walking next to her anymore. Frantically, she spun in place, trying to find him.

**_*Crunch*_ **

She let out a shriek and jumped backward as something slammed to the ground next to her. It took a few seconds for her to recognize the figure as it came out of its landing crouch.

“Why is Overwatch operating in Egypt?” Fareeha demanded.

“W-We aren’t!” the young squire stammered. “I mean… I’m not… I’m not Overwatch?”

The tall trooper let out a derisive snort. “Brigitte Lindholm. I looked you up. One of Torbjorn’s children. Also, no entry records at any port of entry, so you must have arrived clandestinely. Like on an Orca dropship.”

Brigitte coughed nervously and looked around for help, but Genji was nowhere to be seen. Sighing, she turned her attention back to Fareeha and decided honesty was the best policy. “Okay, I might be here to do a little scouting. We heard about the omnics and just thought it might be prudent to see if it was something to worry about. But obviously, you have it all under control, so we were just leaving!”

Brigitte saw Fareeha’s helmet turn slightly as she surveyed the area. “You are extracting now?”

The mechanic mentally facepalmed. “Eventually! Um-”

She was saved from further explanation when the security officer’s radio crackled loudly with a transmission. Brigitte noticed her stiffen suddenly and her mouth curled into a scowl. “Not entirely under control, it seems,” Pharah muttered darkly. “A humanitarian relief camp is under attack by more omnics. Be on your way, Brigitte Lindholm, I must go.” Her knees bent slightly, and then she leapt into the air with a blast of rocket thrusters, sending her soaring into the night sky.

As Brigitte watched the streaking suit of armor in the air, she was startled by a voice next to her. 

“How fortunate for us.”

She jumped and twisted her head to glare at Genji as he continued. “Called away by duty before you could give away all of our secrets.” She blushed in embarrassment, but he just turned away and started walking. “Lena landed nearby while you were making friends. Let us be off.”

\---

Brigitte slumped against the seat as Genji moved up to the cockpit to talk with Tracer. After a minute deep in thought, she spoke to the air.

“Athena, what humanitarian relief camps are in the area?”

“Just one, Agent Lindholm. Medecins Sans Frontiéres set up a camp not far from here several months ago. They have been providing medical care for a recent outbreak of cholera in a refugee camp.”

“A refugee camp? Refugees from where?”

“Unusually heavy rains to the south caused severe flooding along the Nile River. Entire communities were destroyed and displaced to here. Leading environmentalists believe this to be a result of climate change, noting that erratic and unseasonal rainstorms have been more frequent in East Africa. Would you like to read the reports?”

“No, thank you, Athena. That will be all.” Brigitte lapsed into another thoughtful silence. Her gaze flicked up as Genji padded back into the passenger compartment.

“Genji.” He froze mid-step, then his masked face turned to her. “I want to go help that camp.”

Before responding, he walked over to her and sat down on the edge of the table. “Why?”

The squire took a moment to compose her reply. “You asked me why I joined Overwatch.” He nodded. “This is why. I want to help people. People in danger, who can’t protect themselves. I will protect them.”

“Very well,” he said, standing back up.

Brigitte looked shocked. “What? Really?”

Genji laughed, a warm mirth infusing his voice. “Of course, Brigitte Lindholm. With a reason like that, how could I refuse? I will inform Tracer of our change in plans.”

\---

Brigitte hefted her mace and impatiently tapped her foot waiting for the side door to drop down. As soon as the ship hit the ground, the doors slid downward and she ran outside. Even though they were some five hundred meters away, the ongoing battle was easy to decipher. To the left was a sprawling camp with lighting strung up. Just outside the camp, small streaks of light shot outwards and exploded into hills from defenders firing rocket launchers. Tracers from a constant volley of bullets snapped back the other way, in far greater number than the defenders’ fire.

A rasp of metal sliding along plastic drew her attention to the side. Tracer twirled her pistols in her hands and winked. “Can’t let you two have all the fun.” The time-traveling pilot looked out at the battle. “Looks bloody nasty out there.” She started to squint, with a little frown. “Hard to make out what kind of baddies we got out there, bad lighting. Genji, can you go scout?”

“On it, Lena,” the ninja replied, and sprinted off into the darkness.

Suddenly, a blue burst of light caught their attention. From the defender’s lines, a blue suit of flying armor flung towards the attackers, propelled by a concussive blast. As it arced close to the source of gunfire, rocket thrusters flared and boosted the trooper into the air. Rockets immediately began to rain down, blasting omnics into the air.

“Yeah! Get ‘em!” Tracer cheered, then she quickly frowned. “What’s that? …. Oh no. Oh no no no no no.”

Brigitte was surprised by the sudden change in attitude. Then she saw what Lena had noticed. The explosions from the rockets had spawned several fires that illuminated the attackers. Behind the original line of attackers, there was another omnic. One that Brigitte had heard Reinhardt tell terrifying stories about.

Helplessly, the two women watched as a multi-barreled chaingun tracked into the air and unleashed a hail of tracers, the sound audible even from this far away.

**_-brrrrrrrrrrrrrt!-_ **

Sparks flew into the air from bullet impacts, and the flying trooper immediately cut her jets, trying to drop out of the air. The stream of tracers followed after her, narrowly missing. But before hitting the ground, she was forced to fire her thrusters for just a moment to slow down, and the barrage of bullets caught up. The airborne figure was visibly knocked backward from the sheer volume of impacts, and then dropped out of sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mostly hit that 3 week mark! I had it done on Wednesday, just waited for a little beta reading / editing, and then I just forgot to post it on Friday.


	6. Who Saves the Heroes?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three Overwatch agents spring into action and try to save Fareeha Amari before it's too late!

Brigitte immediately broke out into a sprint. After a couple hundred meters at a flat-out run, she began to mentally thank Reinhardt for all those early mornings he’d woken her up for a 10 kilometer run. She crested over a sand dune and could see a crumpled figure in blue armor in a gulley. 

“Brigitte,” Genji’s voice spoke into her earpiece. “More walker omnics are approaching the hill. I will destroy them as soon as I am able, but you will be under fire.”

“Understood,” she replied without hesitation. Her legs churned as she sprinted the last dozen meters, glowing omnic sensors appearing on the hill above her. She leapt over the sprawled figure, landed in a crouch, and clenched her left fist, expanding her shield to its deployed position just as the first volley of bullets rained down.

Ignoring the bullets slamming into the hardlight barrier, she turned around and extended a hand to Fareeha Amari. “Grab my hand!” she yelled over the gunfire.

With a pained groan, Fareeha reached out a gauntlet and clenched Brigitte’s hand. The squire hauled the trooper closer behind her shield, noticing the blood pooling where Fareeha had been lying. 

Cracks started to form in the hardlight as bullets continued to impact repeatedly. 

Letting go of Fareeha’s hand, Brigitte reached to her belt and grabbed an untested invention of hers: a repair pack. Her thumb punched a button and she flicked it at the bleeding woman. It burst into nanobots on impact, and for a moment, nothing seemed to happen. Then, over every bullet hole in the Raptora armor, a miniature scaffolding seemingly appeared out of thin air, and then began to fill in rapidly as the tiny machines started to repair the damage. At the same time, they  _ should _ have been stanching any bleeding. She hoped. 

The shield shuddered violently as a long crack appeared in it.

\---

Genji kept an eye on Brigitte’s progress as he darted from shadow to shadow, closing in on the enemy position.

“Oof! This Bastion’s a smart one!” Tracer complained over the radio. “It keeps tracking me every time I blink!”

“Don’t take too long, Tracer,” Genji responded. “I can defeat these omnics, but if you cannot kill that Bastion, there will be little left of me but scrap metal.”

“Workin’ on it!”

The ninja watched Brigitte’s shield start to splinter under the barrage. “Work faster!” he exclaimed, and leapt from his hiding space. Shuriken whistled out from both his hands, each one lodging in a critical joint or vital cable on the omnics before him. His feet softly hit the dirt, and he tucked into a roll, coming up with another fan of shuriken that disabled another omnic. The closest ones stopped firing and turned to face the new threat.

“ Ryūjin no ken wo kurae!”

Genji flourished the katana as he drew it from his back, then planted his feet before blurring forward with a flash of green light. Three walkers toppled to the ground in halves behind him. He flipped over the next one as it fired a burst of bullets where he used to be, and took two quick midair slashes to dismantle it. The cyborg hit the ground and proceeded to dance through the few remaining threats, always two steps ahead of where they shot next. Seconds later, the last omnic walker collapsed to the ground in four pieces.

_ -wrrr- _

Genji’s head snapped to the side as the Bastion barrel began to rotate.

“Tracer.”

At this distance, it could easily track his movements, there was no way to dodge. He readied his blade.

“Tracer!”

**-** **_brrrrrrrrrrrrt!_ ** **-**

Sparks flew through the air as Genji spun his sword in a defensive circle, deflecting the initial burst. He spun to the side, letting the next few pass within inches before the Bastion adjusted aim and he was forced to intercept another dozen rounds. He missed one. It skipped off his thigh.

“LENA!”

**-** **_thwump_ ** **-**

The Bastion unit exploded in a flash of blue as Tracer’s pulse bomb detonated.

“Cheers, love! Thanks for distracting it!”

With a groan, the ninja slumped into a crouch, planting the sword’s tip in the ground and resting against it. “You don’t have to wait to the last moment, Lena.”

“Aw, but what’s the fun in that?”

Genji smiled behind his mask and shook his head. “Never change, Tracer.” He hauled himself to his feet, sheathing the katana. “We should check on Brigitte.”

\---

After Tracer and Genji finished sweeping the area for stragglers, they went to find Brigitte and only found a small blood puddle and some very deep footprints leading away, towards the relief camp.

Genji stood up after examining the prints. “She must be carrying Fareeha Amari to get medical attention.”

Tracer nodded and blinked several meters, already in a crouch, checking the footprints further down. “Uneven gait, one foot going deeper than the other. Yep, got her slung over a shoulder. Reinhardt really should have taught her the fireman’s carry!” She laughed and blinked again, leaving Genji scrambling to catch up.

It was a short trip to reach the edge of the camp where the prints were still very easy to follow. Most of the inhabitants were staying inside tents and other temporary shelters, and even though the shooting had stopped, no one seemed eager to come outside. After a couple minutes, they started to approach a large, sturdy tent emblazoned with the MSF logo.

Following the prints right up to the entrance, they could see another pair meet up with Brigitte’s prints and then both sets of prints disappeared onto the white plastic boards making up the floor. Tracer pushed her way through the flap, noting that there were some fresh drops of blood staining the walkway.

The sound of voices wafted down from a hallway formed of plastic sheeting, and the pair of Overwatch agents quickly headed in that direction. Tracer stepped into an opening and stopped short as she took in the scene before her.

Fareeha was lying on a table in her banged up armor while Brigitte stood on one side of it looking worried. Standing across across from Brigitte was a tall, pale woman with blonde hair, grasping a Caduceus Staff that was channeling a stream of nanobiotic energy into the unconscious trooper.

“ANGIE!” Tracer exclaimed, blinking across the three meters that separated them. She stopped short of a hug at the last second, realizing the doctor wouldn’t want to be jostled in the middle of treating a patient.

Doctor Angela Ziegler gave a warm smile to the shorter woman. “Lena! You’re looking well.” Her eyes flicked up to the opening in the sheets and a frown flickered across her face. “Genji, you may as well come in, Brigitte told me you were here.”

The rookie agent flushed in embarrassment.

A metal hand pushed aside a sheet as Genji stepped through, his mask briefly staring at Brigitte before he turned his attention to Mercy. “Greetings, Angela. I hope you are in good health?”

“I am,” she replied.

An awkward pause seemed to stretch forever before Tracer broke the silence. “Er, so, is she going to be okay?” she asked, gesturing at Fareeha.

Mercy returned her gaze to her patient. “Yes. Brigitte’s repair pack did a good job of slowing the bleeding considerably. I’m very impressed with the additional utility over Torbjorn’s old armor packs!”

Brigitte blushed again, though this time in pleasure. “Thank you! Papa helped, of course, but this is the first time I’ve used it in combat. I’m so glad it worked!”

“However,” Angela continued. “I am noticing a  _ significant  _ flaw in your personal armor design, Brigitte. Where is your helmet?”

Tracer belted out a laugh as Brigitte stammered over an explanation. “I… that is. It’s not… Um! Reinhardt says it’s good to.. Uh.. Hear everything around you! So you can tell if someone is sneaking up!”

Angela sighed in exasperation. “Of course he says that. But  _ I _ happen to know that he always just liked to feel the wind in his hair! The vain fool. You know how he lost his eye, don’t you? Pah! The old man never listened to me. You shouldn’t make the same mistake! I’m not a mirac-”

Her rant was cut off by a fit of coughing from Fareeha. Everyone in the room fell silent and stared at the woman lying on the table. Her eyes flickered open, lazily surveying the room, before focusing in on the beam of healing light, and following it back to the source. She looked up at Angela and murmured a word. “Beautiful.” And passed out again.

Angela just stood there, astonished, until Tracer burst out into laughter once again. “Uh oh! Another one’s got a crush on ya, Doc!”

It was Mercy’s turn to sputter. “What? No, of course not! This… this is simply pain-induced delirium. I am certain she won’t remember any such thing when she awakens properly!”

She rounded on Tracer. “In any case, what exactly, what do you think you are doing, Lena Oxton? Brigitte did not quite tell me why you three are here, but I can easily guess. You’ve answered Winston’s recall.”

Tracer shifted uncomfortably, but it was Genji that answered. “We are back because we need to be, Angela. I have been traveling the world since Overwatch was dismantled. Suffering has only grown in the years since. My master Zenyatta agrees. That is why when Winston initiated the recall, he came with me to Gibraltar.”

The doctor remained silent as she considered his words. Examining the readout on the back of her staff, she shut off the healing beam. She planted the staff’s base on the floor and steadily examined the expressions of the three Overwatch agents. Her eyes closed with a sigh, and she thought about all the work she had done in the past several years, and everything she had witnessed while working with MSF.

Her shoulders slumped as she came to a decision. “You’re right. Once I am certain Fareeha is in good health, I will come with you.” She stood up straighter as her eyes twinkled with amusement. “Someone has to put you back together after this all blows up in your faces.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like everyone just keeps showing up in pairs!
> 
> Still maintaining the 3 week post rate, so that's good! I'm going to try start getting these out on Friday afternoons, though.


	7. A Doctor's Mercy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mercy rejoins Overwatch and sets about putting her stamp on the reformed organization.

Angela went with Tracer and Genji to pack her personal belongings while Brigitte was left kept watch on the unconscious Fareeha. Only another twenty minutes passed before she awoke again.

“... unngh.”

Immediately, the squire jumped to her feet and leaned over the waking woman. “Oh, you’re up! How are you feeling?”

Fareeha groaned again and shielded her eyes with a hand before responding. “Aching.” Her head turned from side to side as she looked around the room. “Miss Lindholm. Where am I? The last thing I remember…” Her voice trailed off and her eyes grew wide. She sat up suddenly, her hands patting at the holes in her armor where the repair pack’s temporary patches had already fallen away. The captain scrabbled at the latches on her armor, stripping off pieces that fell to the floor with heavy thuds. A moment later, she was examining fresh circles of paler skin where bullet holes had been healed by nanobiotics. “What happened?”

“We came to help,” Brigitte said simply.

At a lifted eyebrow from the security trooper, she blushed a little and continued. “Well, I mean, we saw you fall out of the sky after that Bastion opened up. I came to help you and … the others went to fight the omnics. I patched you up as best I could and got you into the camp where Doctor Ziegler healed you. The other agents came back, and I don’t hear any more gunfire, so I think they destroyed them all.”

Fareeha looked at the wall with a distant expression. “Doctor Ziegler healed me? So that wasn’t a dream, it _was_ Mercy.”

Brigitte couldn’t help smirking a little. “Oh, you remember that?”

It was Fareeha’s turn to blush faintly, but after a moment turned to look directly at Brigitte. “I want to come with you. I want to join Overwatch.”

The Overwatch agent’s mouth dropped open. “You want to… I don’t think I can… Are you even…?”

“That may be acceptable. What are your reasons?” Brigitte spun around to see Genji enter the room. _How does he keep snea- oh right ninja,_ she thought to herself.

Fareeha took a moment to gather her thoughts before launching into her explanation. “Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a part of Overwatch. My mother,” she paused briefly with a glance at Brigitte, who had the decency to look embarrassed, “ensured that I would not. And then by the time I was old enough and skilled enough, Overwatch was no more. Its name sullied, the heroes scattered to the winds. And I wondered, by the end of its days, was it even the same place? Was it still populated by heroes, or was the media correct? Had it become corrupt? Overstepping its mandate, performing black operations, assassinations.” Genji’s stance shifted ever-so-slightly, but she didn’t seem to notice.

She sighed. “And now it is back. I know the Petras Act is still in effect. You were operating here illegally, in my territory. When I spoke to Miss Lindholm, she gave that away all too easily. Guileless. And after I was forced to respond to this attack, you had an easy opportunity to flee. But instead, even though you could face severe repercussions, you came to help. Those are the actions of heroes. I still want to be a part of that.”

Genji nodded. “Very well. Assuming my partner has no objections, I am happy to recruit you to Overwatch.”

Brigitte frowned. “Hm, where is Tracer? Still helping Doctor Ziegler?”

The ninja laughed. “No, Brigitte. Tracer is our pilot for the mission. _You_ are my partner.”

She blushed again.

\---

Winston was waiting for the team, plus their two recruits, when the dropship landed back at Watchpoint: Gibraltar. He gave Mercy a big, but gentle, hug as she stepped out of the aircraft before looking at Fareeha.

“Fareeha Amari,” he rumbled in a pleased tone. “You’ve grown so large since I last saw you!”

Fareeha smiled. “Still not so large as you, Winston! I hope you are well?”

“I am!” he replied, turning and gesturing for the two to follow. “You know, I actually have followed your career in the years past. I always wondered how you would have done if you had joined us before. Is it true you have a callsign now? Pharah?”

The security trooper chuckled as she and Mercy fell into step next to the scientist. “Yes, my team gave it to me some years ago. It’s stuck with me even as I climbed the ranks. Listen, Winston, I know you’re all operating here … er… illegally, but I have some ideas. My rank as captain at Helix Security gives me certain leeway to recruit freelancers…” her voice trailed off as the trio walked off towards the command center.

Tracer let out a giggle. “Well, as ranking member present, I guess I shall hereby declare this debrief to be over!”

Genji looked taken aback. “Ranking member? I was in Overwatch before you were!”

The pilot snickered. “In the _old_ Overwatch sure. This is a _new_ Overwatch and I got here first, so nyah!” She hopped off the ship to the metal floor of the landing bay, and immediately blinked away in a series of bright blue streaks before Genji could even respond.

The ninja let out a soft sigh and turned to Brigitte. “Well, I suppose she is right about one thing. Debrief over. I assume Athena must have kept Winston in the loop about the status of our mission. In any case, Brigitte, despite a few small … hiccups, I would call this mission an overall great success. We succeeded at our primary objective, and also came back with two excellent new agents. You’re growing. Zero to hero just like that.” He started walking off.

The squire was a bit flabbergasted for a moment. “Wait, what? What d’you mean-” He just waved at her as he exited the launch bay.

\---

A few days later, Brigitte found herself outside the door to the watchpoint’s medbay. It had been quiet ever since she’d arrived, but now it bustled with the sound of activity. Taking a breath, she stepped through and observed the scene within. Mercy stood within, clipboard in one hand, and a pen in the other, pointing around the room as she gave orders.

“Fareeha, the oxygen cylinders should go in that corner after they are done filling. Reinhardt! Be. Careful! That case of biotic fluid is worth more than ten of your antique Crusader suits put together!”

“Ha! But your magic healing juice does not have the HEART and SOUL of the GERMAN people!”

Angela gave him an arch look. “Yes, but it has saved your life on multiple occasions.”

The burly old knight raised a finger and opened his mouth, then paused. “You are correct.” He gently put the case down where it belonged. He let out a hearty laugh then nodded at Brigitte. “Brigitte! What brings you here? Ready for more training??”

She shook her head. “No, uncle. Doctor Ziegler wanted to see me.”

Mercy let out a sigh. “Brigitte, I have known you far too long for you to be so formal with me. Angela will do. Now, please, come with me, it is time for your physical. Reinhardt, Fareeha, thank you for your help, you may go.”

“Er, what?” the squire stammered.

Reinhardt paused next to her her with a grave expression. He plopped a massive hand on her own well-muscled shoulder. “She will test you. Severely. These trials will tax you to your limits. But remember, this is what you have trained for.” He continued out the door.

“What?!”

\---

The next morning, Brigitte was sitting in the cafeteria, groaning, when Tracer walked in. She blinked right into the chair across from the young squire with a sympathetic expression. “Oof, I know that look. The patented Angie torture test! You’ll feel better in a day or two!”

Brigitte shook her head. “I hope so… I never thought a _breathing_ exercise would nearly cause me to pass out.”

Lena laughed. “Oh boy, the lung capacity one. Mercy does kinda go a little extreme on her tests, but she says that by pushing you to every limit, she can really learn the exact parameters of your body.” Tracer wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

The squire gave a cough just as she was about to drink some coffee and glared at Tracer with a little blush on her cheeks.

“Lena!” came a sharp exclamation as Angela came walking in holding a folder filled with paper. “You, that is… ugh!” She stopped in front of the table while Tracer giggled with uncontrollable laughter. “Brigitte, I am pleased to inform you that you are in excellent physical health, no doubt as a result of training Reinhardt has put you through. I am officially clearing you for field operations.”

The squire looked confused. “But… I already have been on two…?”

Mercy scowled. “Yes, and that was highly irresponsible of Winston to be sending out agents without knowing anything about their health and would you stop that, Lena?!”

While the doctor hadn’t been looking, Tracer had slipped from her seat and was standing behind her miming a stern schoolteacher giving a lecture. She burst out laughing. “Oh come off it, Angela, we’re all fine, and we’ve got you to patch us up if things go a little pear-shaped, right?”

Angela glared at the pilot for a few moments, before her features shifted into something a bit more … sinister. “Yes, you do. Although, now that I think of it, I believe it is now _your_ turn for a physical, it has been several years since the last one, after all…”

“Eep!” Tracer turned to flee but Mercy snagged her wrist in a tight grip.

“Off we go!” the doctor exclaimed in a cheerful voice. “Enjoy your breakfast, Brigitte!” She turned and marched the half-heartedly struggling Tracer away, leaving Brigitte speechless at the table, alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time trying to plot out this chapter, which resulted in me basically missing an update. But here it is, finally! I hope it was worth the extra time it took.


End file.
